Halloween is Big Money

The Gazette recently published an article about retailers beginning to stock their shelves for Halloween earlier in the year, near Labor Day.

The article states:

According to the National Retail Federation’s Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey:

$64.82 The average amount those surveyed plan to spend on Halloween, up from $59.06 a year ago.

$23.33 The average consumers plan to spend on Halloween costumes, including kids’ and pets’ costumes.

$5.07 billion Estimated Halloween spending for 2007 in the U.S.

What does this have to do with you?
I’m glad I asked. Everything! Halloween is all about four things to marketers: scary movies, sexy costumes, candy and decorations. Since the candy market isn’t too big online, lets focus on the others.

Scary movies
Scary movies have always done well around Halloween. But of course, no one wants to buy a DVD the day of and have to wait several days to receive it; by that time Halloween will be said and done. Advertise movies around two or three weeks ahead of time. Most shoppers will have Halloween in their mind, but it will still be long enough for them to receive the DVD in the mail before the holiday.

Costumes
Costumes are HUGE on Halloween. $5.07 billion estimated spending for this coming Halloween.

Costumes popular amongst children
Pirates, princesses, Spider-man, fairies and this years blockbuster hit Transformers.
Adults:
Pirates, vampires, cats, princesses and of course, anything sexy for young adult females going to parties.

Don’t believe me? Well, you don’t have to. From the Gazette:

According to a survey conducted by BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation, the top choice for kids’ costumes this year is a princess (10.7 percent), followed by Spider-Man (4.8 percent), pirate (4.7 percent), witch (4.2 percent) and fairy (2.8 percent).

One-third of adults in the survey also will dress in costume for Halloween. Their top choices are witch (16.9 percent), pirate (3.8 percent), vampire (3.1 percent), cat (2.5 percent) and princess (2.2 percent.)

Decorations
Much like the others, you’ll want to start this one a bit early. People like to decorate their home with skeletons, ghouls and the likes weeks ahead of the big day.

Labor day has been chosen as the starting point for the holiday season by many shops in 2007, with good reason. Customers love the holiday season, and what better way to start it off with a few decorations, costumes and scary movies?

Don’t let your online business slip behind, start the season now if you haven’t already. Halloween is a big, big money holiday.

Written: Oct 3, 2007

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